I remember years ago, on a particularly bad morning, I was sitting in my office in Manitowoc wondering if there was a way to avoid meeting anyone the rest of the day. It was barely 10:00 AM and already the phone conversations had been depressing – a death here, a Worship Committee fight there, questions and problems, problems and questions! “Aaaarrrhhh…” I said out loud, “can this day get any worse?” It was then that I scanned my bookshelf and my eyes fell to a book by Og Mandino entitled’ The Greatest Salesman in the World. Mandino is one of the giants in the field of Inspirational Talks and spends most of his workshops reflecting on personal attitudes and how we adjust them for success. Somewhere in that novel, Mandino writes about needing a battle planon those days when everything seems stacked against us. He believes that this plan must take into account our own attitudes and actions, and their effect on others. After all, if our attitude brings rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism to others, then others will react with rain, gloom, darkness and pessimism. If our attitude brings joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter to others, then others will react with joy, enthusiasm, brightness and laughter.This is Og Mandino’s plan:

Each day, when I awaken, I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure – If I feel depressed, I will sing. If I feel sad, I will laugh. If I feel ill, I will double my labor. If I feel fear, I will plunge ahead. If I feel uncertain, I will raise my voice. If I feel incompetent, I will remember past successes.”

Now I think there are times in life when it is necessary and right to feel fearful or sad, ill or uncertain, but I think Og Mandino has a great point – most of the time we allow our own attitudes to go unchallenged. Our attitudes and our actions become almost toxic in the way that they spread to others. So often we allow the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure to capture us from the moment we rise, and from that point on, those we come into contact with, are touched and affected and afflicted!

I am especially aware of the impact of my own attitudes this month as we celebrate Father’s Day. Each year I am ever more aware of the awesome responsibility of being a Dad. I am more aware than ever that my sons – and now a new daughter – are watching me and learning from me – both the good and the bad. I know now, more than ever before that other people are affected by my attitudes and actions. And especially because of my children, I desperately want to be a person of joy and enthusiasm, brightness and laughter. I want my children to live like this as well. I fully realize that each morning there are two little boys and a lovely little girl who are watching me. They watch how I handle sadness; whether I’ll laugh or allow it to overwhelm me and thus overwhelm them as well. They watch how I handle fear; whether I’ll face it squarely or be paralyzed by my fears, and thus spread that paralysis to them as well. They watch how I handle my insecurities and incompetencies; whether I’ll remember all the things I’m good at, or see myself as a failure, and perhaps see them as failures as well. It is an awesome responsibility to be a father, knowing that what I do will be seen by my children.

Still, this is a responsibility that all of us share. Jesus reminds us often in the gospels that we are to be lights on a hill, lights for the world, lights in the midst of darkess. Jesus was keenly aware that how we live each moment of life is much more impacting that what we say each day. Jesus knew, in the end, that we are walking, breathing sermons. Each of us can be a moment of Good News! Each day people will be touched and affected and sometimes even afflicted by our attitudes. We can be overwhelmed by the forces of sadness, self pity and failure, or we can be people of gospel joy, filled with the love of Jesus. Every day we have a choice.

For more than 40 years, Art Buchwald (1925-2007) was best known for his syndicated column of political satire that appeared in 500 papers worldwide. But to those who knew him best, Buchwald will be remembered as the man who wanted to just enjoy life and see where it takes me.

In February of 2006, after recovering from a stroke and losing part of a leg due to kidney complications, the octogenarian humorist took stock of what was left of his life and made a decision. He quit his thrice-weekly dialysis treatments, checked into a hospice facility, and planned his funeral. The thing is, when you make your choice, Buchwald said, then a lot of the stress is gone. Everything is great because you accept that you are the one who made the choice. As the weeks passed, he received visits from countless friends and family members—and bade them farewell. Then months passed; springtime came and went. And Buchwald again took stock: Death had apparently rejected him, his kidneys were still plugging away – his time was not yet over!

Ever the writer, Buchwald realized he needed to “revise” the “final” draft of his life. He bought a cell phone, updated his living will, started writing another book, and recorded an interview to be shown after his passing. He left the hospice to spend the summer in Martha’s Vineyard with his family, and afterward moved in with his son. His sense of wit and humor never diminished. He quipped, I have no idea where I’m going, but here’s the real question: What am I doing here in the first place?

Art Buchwald knew that many people would not agree with the path he’d chosen. But since the final journey was his alone to take, he believed himself to be the best qualified to determine its course. As the end drew near, he said his only regrets were that he wouldn’t live to experience another Verdi opera or to see global warming get resolved – still, Buchwald had certainly enjoyed life fully – right up to Death’s door.

To live life fully – right up to Death’s door is the great challenge of Pentecost. Forty days after Easter, we celebrate the feast of living life fully. The apostles huddled together in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem, were living lives of fear. They had huddled together behind locked doors because they were afraid of dying. Even after they had seen the Lord, still they were huddled together and were afraid of their own shadows. The story of Pentecost is a story of transformation. Like Art Buchwald suddenly they realized that they had to leave their fear behind them and take to the streets again. When the Holy Spirit blew into their hearts they came to the realization that even if they had no idea where they were going, the real question was – what were they doing here in the first place! This is the challenge of Pentecost! Pentecost means that we shift our attitudes – rather than being worried about death’s door, we concentrate instead upon living!

Pentecost is a God-given invitation to embrace the life you have with all of its joys and pains; all of its ups and downs; all of its successes and failures – to embrace life as it is and really to live! That’s what Jesus was trying to tell his Apostles and what Art Buchwald in his own way was trying to share with his readers, do not be afraid of dying – be afraid of NOT living!Pentecost is a time to throw off the shackles that have kept us timid and depressed, huddled behind closed doors and afraid of the future. Pentecost reminds us that because of the Easter promise we can forget about death and get on with the business of life. Pentecost challenges us to get involved in a new ministry; share a moment of faith with someone; drop an old grievance; jump into a new adventure; take a risk; breathe; trust; hope – but most of all – LIVE! On the Day of Pentecost the Apostles left their fear behind and chose to live the life they were given. That is our challenge as well. I can’t say it any better than Art Buchwald: Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got!